Brutal race hate attack on Wigan mini cab driver
and on Freeview 262 or Freely 565
Tahir Ahmad’s cheek was split open by one of the blows rained in through his private hire vehicle window by a foul-mouthed would-be customer whose lift had just been cancelled because he had taken too long to come out of the nearby pub.
The 41-year-old dad of two from Swinley says that verbal assaults against him and other drivers, particularly those of Asian descent, are now the norm, with racist language used against him “two or three times every week.”
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Hide AdAnd the physical attack has left him fearful to continue work, yet he still has mouths to feed.


A man has since been arrested on suspicion of racially-aggravated assault.
Former delivery driver Tahir, who works for Wigan-based Britannia Taxis, had been dispatched to the Silverwell pub, on Darlington Street East, at 10.45pm on Friday, January 24, to pick up one of its customers.
As is the routine, the driver texted the customer to say he was outside, but the man did not immediately appear.
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There is a company rule that a driver should wait four to five minutes and then cancel the fare if the client doesn’t appear, then make themselves available for the next job which, after five minutes, Tahir did.
But just after cancelling it, the customer came out. Tahir explained what had happened and he says the man became "aggressive and verbally abusive.”
He added: “We are told to stay calm, which I did, but the guy continued to be very aggressive, he used words like ‘P*** c***’ and said he was going to smash my face in.
"I told him that he could easily call another cab and it wasn’t my fault that his fare had been cancelled, but he was having none of it.
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Hide Ad"His partner came out and tried dragging him back into the pub, but he went across the road and picked up some kind of blunt object as if he was going to attack me with it, however this time his partner did manage to get him back inside the pub.
"I contacted the office to warn them that whoever got sent next to pick this guy up next should be careful because he had been very aggressive.
"But while I was doing this, I received a new job from a different name at the Silverwell so I stayed outside and started the car.
"Before my new fare came out the original customer emerged again and gave me more abuse. Again I stayed came, explained what he should do and repeated that it wasn’t my fault. I didn’t want any harm to come to me or my car.
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Hide Ad"He kept saying he was going to smash my face in and was using racist language.
"It was when I turned my head while I straightened the rear-view mirror that he leaned in through the open window and punched me three or four times and then ran back inside the pub.
"The worst injury was a cut under my eye which started showering blood.
"I had been on a conference call with friends and told them what had happened to me and they said I should tell the police so I rang 999.”
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Hide AdOfficers came to the pub and arrested a man on suspicion of assault.
Meanwhile Tahir went to Wigan Infirmary A&E where a nurse glued the wound. He was eventually examined by a doctor the next morning and later underwent a CT scan confirming that no bones were broken.
But he has since been suffering from blurred vision and an itch in his eye, and so is seeking further help from an optical specialist.
He says the incident has also affected him mentally and, since he was attacked, he has been frightened to pick up fares from pubs and has cut short shifts as a result.
He said: “I am very worried about this happening again.
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Hide Ad"Getting racist abuse is, sadly, now very normal round here. It was like this around 15 or more years ago then got better. But now it is getting worse again.
"Someone uses racial abuse against me during my job two or three times every week and it is the same for my colleagues.
"Most of our drivers who work weekends and in the evenings are Asian. I am of Asian-Pakistani descent, I am a Muslim and there is a lot of hostility out there, especially from people when they’ve had a few drinks. It’s frightening.
"But I need to work so I can pay the bills and feed the kids.
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Hide Ad"I haven’t done anything to deserve this. I and my colleagues are here to serve the community but we are under attack a lot.
"We have had taxis vandalised, their windows smashed and face a lot of terrible language when we are just doing our jobs.
"Some drivers are reporting the abuse and some are not because they don’t think anyone will take any notice or are worried that if they start making a fuss it could turn out worse for them.
"It is very sad and very frightening that these sorts of incidents are happening and it needs someone to stand and up and say something about them, to speak out and set an example.
"My fear is that things will get even worse.”